Plant protector



May 23, 1933- v B. w. FLANDERS 1,910,828

PLANT PROTECTOR Filed Aug. 18, 1952 Patented May 23, 1933 N UNITED STATES BERT w. MANDERS, OF ninnmnsoito, MAssAcHUsE'rTs PLANT PROTECTOR Application inea August 1s, 1932. lseiarm@ 629,290.

This invention relates to protectors adapted to cover immature plants growing in earth, and protect the same against injury by cold and other' causes.

rlhe invention is embodied in a protector composed of a single piece of sheet material, such as waxed paper, not easily softened by water, molded by dies to form a body adapted to bear on an earth area and cover a plant, and having a plurality of anchoring corners adapted to be engaged with the earth at uniformly spaced apart points to securely confinethe `protector against liability of displacement by wind blowing in `different directions, and edge portions between the anchoring corners formed and arranged to admit air to the interior of the `protector between the earth and said edge portions, the protector being stitfened by corrugations which facilitate the entrance of air, the form of the protector being such v that a plurality of identical protectors can be formed at one operation by a pair of dies. Of the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing my improved protector anchored to an earth area.

Figure 2 is a section on lme 2 2 of Figure 1, said line intersecting two of the anchoring corners.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Figure 1. y

Figure 4 is a fragmental section on line 4 4, Figures 1 and 5 showing the preferred form of the corrugations.

Figure 5l is a perspective View showing the protector anchored as shown by Figures 1, 2 and 3.`

Figure 6 is a plan view ofthe square piece or blank from which the protector' is formed.`

Figure 7 shows in section a pair of molding dies and a plurality of protectors formed thereby at a single operation.

f The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the gures.

My improved protector` is molded from a single square piece, or blank, 12 (Fig. 6) of sheet material, preferably waxed paper, the

blank being preferably y eighteen inches square.`

`The molding operation is performedby dies hereinafter described, formed to produce from the 'blankthe protector shown by Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5.` y l "I The `protector has a concavo-convex central portion 13 whoseconvex side constitutes a dome-shaped top surface rof the pro-,p tector and asubstantiallysquare margin which is contracted bythe molding operation, as may be seen 1 with Figure 6.

A skirt portion 14 is curved downwardly and outwardly from the centrali portion to the margin.

The protector thus formed has fo'ur angular corner portions 15 inclined outwardly from theskirt portion, and formed to be anchored asbest shown by Figures l1, 2, and 5; at spaced apart portions of an earth .area 16 on which the protector rests, the' Vanchoringbeing conveniently effected by `earth `portions superpdsed on said corner portions. M 1 l The protector is provided with corrugations"17 extending radially from the central -portion 13 to the edges of,` the margin. Said corrugations are preferably formed in cross sectlon as shown by Flgure f4, `and are tapered from end to end, their inner ends being` by comparing Figure extremely narrow, or vanishing to pointed* y inner ends, and their Outer ends, which are on the margin of the protector, being much wider.

The arrangement is such that when the corner portions 15 are anchored, the edge portions between the anchored corner portions are slightly raised above the earth area, and the wider ends of the corrugationsr V17' permit access of air to the interior of the when anchored at our points as shown, is

not liable to be displaced by wind blowing in any direction, and is `conditioned to provide air inlets between its margin and the earth area, perm1tt1ng access of air to a plant covered by the protector, the wider ends of the corrugations 17 facilitating the entrance of air.

The central and skirt portions formed as shown and described, impart an ogee curve to any cross section of the protector radiating from its center, so that a plurality of blanks. may. be. molded by-a male die 19 and I a female die 20, Vformed as shown in section by Figure 7, the forming faces of said dies being shaped to convert, by a single opera-I tion, a plurality' of'blanlsy placed therebetween into a plurality of operative pro,- tectors, each characterized as hereinbefore set forth. I have found that by using any suitably thin paper, twenty-five or more protectors may be formed. by one operation of the dies, so that the cost of making the protectors .may be.v reduced to a minimum.

The preferred height of the center of the portion 13 above the earth area on which the protector rests is about six inches.

Additionalair inlets 2l may be formed in the protector if desired.

I claim: I

Asvan article of manufacture a plant protector composed of a single piece of sheet material having' a concavo-convex central portion whose convex side constitutes a dome shaped top surface, a' 'substantial-ly square margin, and a skirt portion curved downwardly and outwardly from the central por- A.tion to the margin, the four angular corner -portions of the protector projecting outwardly from thev skirt portion, and adapted to be anchoredin spaced apart portions of an-earth area on which thel protector rests, the protector being yprovided with tepel-Gd corrugationsl extendingradiallyl from the` central portion to the edges of the margin, the form of the protector being lsuch that .when the corner portions are anchored, air

inlets,l are provided, between the anchored corner portionsjpermitting access of vair toa plant covered Vbythe protector.

In testimony'whereof I have affixed myL signature.

:BERT W. FLANDERS. 

